how to save money on back to school supplies

We all know that going back to school means spending lots of money, as school supplies are not cheap! Factor in backpacks, lunch boxes, clothing, shoes, sports gear, paper, pencils, every extracurricular cost known to GOD, and of course the endless fundraising (better known as us parenting buying things we really don’t need or want to help our kiddos out).

If you are someone on a budget, back to school can be hard to do, for some even impossible. There are so many great donation opportunities to get school supplies into the hands of deserving children. If you do not qualify for donations or perhaps you are just living on a very strict budget, finding ways to save money is imperative. To help save money this school year, there are plenty of great ways to save.

How To Save Money on School Supplies

Thrifting

The first and foremost way to save money on back to school is clothing. Back to school clothing is most the most expensive aspect of school. Check out your local resale store/thrift store/second hand store/ consignment stores. This year to save money on my kids clothing, I took all the kids clothing they have grown out of or will probably never wear and took them to the consignment store. Old toys they didn’t play with, home items, basically anything and everything not essential to our daily living was taken to the consignment store. And though it took about a month, I made over $150.00 on items that were just taking up space. That’s $150 towards school clothing or the consignment store lets you use the 150.00 towards in store credit. Before kids, I was never a thrift store person but by learning how expensive kids clothing can be and that many consignment items are in great condition, I now love consignment stores and honestly look there for kid’s items prior to spending at the big box stores.

Pack Lunches

The second way to save on back to school is by packing lunches versus buying school lunches. School lunches can be pricey, and sometimes don’t satisfy a child’s appetite.  Packed lunches may seem expensive, but if you do a breakdown of cost, it can be cheaper. Especially true if you shop the sales.

Shop Ahead

The last way to save money during back to school is to shop for school clothes the year prior. Towards the end of the school year, clothing goes on super clearance. You can get school clothing for practically nothing. This includes the more expensive items like snow boots and winter jackets. I can’t even begin to say how much money I have saved! You know that kids are going to grow, so stock up on 2 sizes in advance, I do this same thing for shoes. To save even more on shoes, check out the sales at Outlet Stores. Nike, Adidas, Sketchers, and other brands outlet shoe stores will do the same sales toward the end of summer to get rid of the fall shoes for the summer shoes. I once bought a pair of  Nikes for 10.00 a pair at an  outlet store… that’s practically unheard of for Nikes shoes.

So to really save the most on back to school it simply takes: shopping sales, shopping seasons ahead, planning lunches based on discounts and sales, and overall just trying to stay budget savvy. I wish I had a great savings idea for extracurricular costs but often those are just expenses we need to factor in. Believe me if I could find a way to make Basketball or Hockey cheaper, I would. But alas, the savings I have from everything else, makes paying for these things makes it easier on the budget.

I hope you can enjoy this last month of summer with your littles. I also wish your children a great new school year. Give them hugs before they are too cool to let you have them!

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